The 12 Best Books The Marine Corps Wants Its Leaders To Read

The job of a U.S. Marine means much more than knowing how to patrol and shoot a rifle. The Corps wants troops who can think clearly under fire and make calm and intelligent decisions.

So it comes as no surprise that the Corps' top officer — a four-star general known as the Commandant — publishes a list of books that Marines of all ranks need to learn from.

The books run the gamut of development, from warfighting techniques discussed in "Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 1: Warfighting" to leadership in "Battlefield Leadership," and surprisingly, even an anti-war book in "All Quiet on the Western Front."

The Corps has led a recent push for Marines to pick up a book from the always expanding list, of which you can see in full here, but we picked out 12 of our favorites.

"The Red Badge Of Courage" by Stephen Crane

"The Red Badge Of Courage" by Stephen Crane is considered a classic of American literature.

This book is recommended for new recruits and is a great selection as the book follows a man who enlists full of bravado and then flees in cowardice during the Civil War.

War is easy to romanticize until you're in the middle of it, as Crane's work makes clear. While the battle scenes in the book received high praise for realism, the author never experienced war firsthand.

Buy it here >

"Making The Corps" by Tom Ricks

In "Making The Corps," journalist Tom Ricks follows a platoon of recruits through the rigorous training of Marine Corps boot camp. Many Marine recruits are fresh out of high school, and this book chronicles the process that transforms young men and women from civilians into Marines.

This book is recommended for midshipmen and officer candidates whose initial training is different from the enlisted Marines they hope to one day lead. If you've ever wondered what life is like in Marine Corps boot camp, this book gives one of the best accounts.

Buy it here >

"Blink: The Power Of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell's book "Blink" is one of two books by the author on the Commandant's reading list, the other being "Outliers." Military leaders are often required to make quick decisions with limited information, and "Blink" addresses the ability of the mind to make snap decisions and the influences that corrupt the decision-making process.

"Blink" also has a fascinating chapter on the Millennium Challenge 2002 exercise where the military brought Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper out of retirement to lead enemy forces in a wargame against the United States. As the book notes, Van Riper thought outside the box in countering his U.S. military foe, and obliterated their forces in the exercise.

Van Riper later charged leaders with "rigging" the game and taking away his decision-making power.

Buy it here >

"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card

You might be wondering why a science fiction novel is included on the Marine Corps' reading list, but young leaders can learn many valuable lessons from "Ender's Game."

When the main character Ender is thrust into leadership, he is put in charge of his friends and his peers. Ender's responses to the challenges facing a new young leader offer valuable insights for Marines facing the same trials. "Ender's Game" does a remarkable job of showing how leadership affects friendships and how being a good leader means sometimes making unpopular choices.

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"The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara

"The Killer Angels" is a Pulitzer Prize winning historical novel about the Battle of Gettysburg. It follows the leaders of both the Union and Confederate armies and their decision-making during one of the famous battles in American history.

This book has been on many military reading lists, and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf once called it "the best and most realistic historical novel about war I have ever read."

Buy it here >

"All Quiet On The Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque

The transition back into civilian life for men and women returning from war is a battle in itself, and Remarque's novel about World War I captures this trial in vivid detail.

Originally written in German, "All Quiet On The Western Front" follows a young German soldier from war to home and back to war again. This isn't a book about battlefield heroics; it is a poignant look at the hardships of battle.

The novel is decidedly anti-war as it pulls no punches on the horrors passed down from one warfighter to the next.

Buy it here >

"Matterhorn: A Novel Of The Vietnam War" by Karl Marlantes

Karl Marlantes, the author of "Matterhorn" is a decorated Marine veteran of the Vietnam War. Marlantes spent 35 years on "Matterhorn" before the book was published, but all that hard work resulted in one of the best novels on war ever written.

"Matterhorn" gives an incredible first-person account of what it was really like to lead Marines in Vietnam. Far from just another war novel, the book's main character struggles not only with combat, but the bureaucracy above him and inept leadership, in-fighting among his men, and the radical societal changes taking place back home.

Buy it here >

"The Art Of War" by Sun Tzu

The inclusion of "The Art of War" is not surprising, as the book's insights have been extolled by leaders in all sectors — civilian and military.

This book is the classic of Chinese military strategy and rivals its European counterpart "On War" in its influence on military strategy. It is the perfect compliment to the Marine Corps' doctrine of maneuver warfare and using speed, deception, and knowledge of your enemy to exploit weakness.

Buy it here >

"On Killing: The Psychological Costs Of Learning To Kill In War And Society" by Dave Grossman

"On Killing" by retired Lt. Col. Dave Grossman examines the psychology of killing and offers extensive research to show how men and women react when faced with that decision.

Much of his findings stem from the research of Brig. Gen. SLA Marshall, an Army historian whose book "The Soldier's Load and The Mobility of a Nation" has been on the Commandant's list at times.

Grossman found that most people have a distinct aversion to killing. Not only do you have to properly train soldiers to kill, Grossman writes, but you also have to be sure that they are equipped to handle the psychological consequences that killing can take on the psyche.

Buy it here >

"Hot, Flat, And Crowded: Why We Need A Green Revolution — And How It Can Renew America" by Thomas Friedman

"Hot, Flat, and Crowded" replaces another work of Friedman's that was once on the Commandant's reading list — the in-depth study of globalization titled "The Lexus and the Olive Tree."

While, the debate over man-made climate change rages in the political arena, the Marines need to be prepared to fight in any clime and place. The U.S. military takes climate change very seriously, and "Hot, Flat, And Crowded" explores issues of globalization, climate change, and the effects that climate change will have on the future environment.

Buy it here >

"Diplomacy" by Henry Kissinger

As military officers rise in rank, they increasingly become involved in foreign affairs and need the ability to navigate international politics. Military generals frequently interact with world leaders, so Kissinger's masterpiece on the history and nuances of diplomacy is recommended for high-level officers.

"Diplomacy" is a fascinating look at the history of statecraft and an inside view into the opening of China for which Kissinger is famous. The vast knowledge of Secretary Kissinger and his ability to connect world events to examples makes this book an excellent read.

Buy it here >

"First To Fight: An Inside View Of The U.S. Marine Corps" by Victor Krulak

When Gen. James Conway became Commandant of the Marine Corps, he required that all Marines of every rank read Lt. Gen. Victor Krulak's "First To Fight." Krulak was a veteran of the Vietnam War whose son would later rise the ranks to become the Commandant.

Krulak's book attempts to answer the question of why we have a Marine Corps, a question that has been asked periodically throughout the Marine Corps' history. "First to Fight" is part Marine Corps history, lessons from war, and a look at what has changed and what has stayed the same about the Marines.

Buy it here >

You've seen what the Corps wants Marines to read ...

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